


Hindered Amour

by frameofreality



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Angst, Awkward Romance, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on deviantArt, Drama, Drama & Romance, Early Work, F/M, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, GAMR, Humor, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, Interspecies Romance, M/M, Mild Gore, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, No Smut, Older Characters, On Hiatus, One-Sided Attraction, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Psychological Drama, RaPr, Robot Feels, Romance, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama, The Fic of Many Tags, To Be Edited, Work In Progress, ZAGR - Freeform, datr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-02-08
Updated: 2012-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-05 11:35:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5373857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frameofreality/pseuds/frameofreality
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now in High Skool, Zim and Gaz have an encounter... Could this lead to them becoming more than acquaintances?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There are two more characters not listed so as to avoid plot spoilers.
> 
> This story has been posted on FF.net and dA for years but since I'm not really active there much anymore, I decided to move it here too, as incentive to finally finish my first ever multi-chapter fanfic. Some chapters will be revised and rewritten, I may even throw some things out and replace them.

Gaz walked quietly through the hall, messenger bag slung over her shoulder as she slowly made her way to lunch, her Game Slave 2 in her hands as she tried to make it to the next level - which, thanks to her idiotic older brother, Dib, she had never gotten to. The hallway was empty, as she had been the last one to leave class, the teacher having held her back, and as she neared the cafeteria, she pocketed her GS2 and entered, noticing the lunch line was still unbelievably long. She rolled her eyes, flicked back a stray lock of her violet medium-length hair and walked to the front of the line.

No one questioned her, especially since it was pizza day. Even though it wasn't Bloaty's Pizza, Gaz never let anyone stand in her way when it came to her favorite food - not even the annoying green alien, Zim, who was about to grab the largest slice. With almost lightning-fast speed, she cut off his outreaching hand and claimed the prize for herself before grabbing a tray and placing it there.

"You DARE to take Zim's disgusting earth food?" He challenged her immediately, hands on his hips, looking much like an angry child who hadn't gotten his way.

Though the alien had been here for years now, he was still no closer to conquering the world and, "ruling all you filthy humans", as he often said. Now they were in High Skool, Gaz now 18, and she severely doubted he would get any closer to his goals. Especially seeing as he acted like a total spaz, often freaking out for no reason at all, or at least, no reason she could see. Dib had, surprisingly, transferred last year and moved away so he could attend a special university for his paranormal interests, which happened to be quite far away. His enemy, Zim, meanwhile, who was supposed to be part of an advanced alien armada, was stuck here with Gaz and the rest of the pathetic skool.

Of course, her father was way too busy with his projects around the world to stop by and say hello, so Zim was really the only other person she knew...if he even counted as a person, that is. But she hadn't spoken to him since Dib moved away, taking his embarrassing insanity with him. Without Dib to drag her into ridiculous plans to expose the alien, she hadn't even noticed his presence that much - at least when he wasn't freaking out about something.

"Back off," Gaz muttered a dark warning to him.

"Gaz-human will give the foul pizza to Zim or face Zim's wrath!" He yelled at her, clenching his teeth and balling his gloved hands into fists.

Gaz rolled her eyes and turned her back to him, only to find him already in front of her. He reached out quickly and grabbed the pizza, intending to take it from her, but Gaz caught the other end and a tug-of-war ensued.

"Give it back, Zim, and I might let you live!" Gaz snarled.

"Scary Dib-sister try to intimidate ME? Ha! The pizza is MINE."

As if in slow motion, the grease from the pizza allowed it to slip out of their hands and, as they watched, Gaz in anger, Zim in horror, it landed on the floor, only to be instantly surrounded by cockroaches. By this time, there was no pizza left, the rest of the line having taken advantage of Gaz's distraction, and Zim looked at Gaz sheepishly. Eyes shut tight in annoyance, she took a step toward him.

"I suggest you run. **Now.** " Zim took a step back, then turned and ran screaming out of the cafeteria. Gaz followed hotly on his heels.

"Uh, Zim is sorry for making scary Gaz-human mad!" He gasped out, turning to look back at her as he ran, flashing her a charming smile, hoping for forgiveness, or at least only one broken leg, before tripping over a discarded can and landing hard on his back. Gaz immediately climbed on top of him, throwing her bag to the side, straddling his hips as she pulled back her fist to punch him in the face.

"Zim is sorry!" He pleaded, eyes wide.

Gaz narrowed her eyes even further than they were already. She didn't know why he occasionally referred to himself in the third person. Maybe it was a dumb male pride thing? Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Almost at the same time, the hall filled up with students who circled them, itching for Gaz to punch someone's lights out. Unfortunately for Zim, that someone happened to be him. Someone in the crowd started saying, "Fight, fight, fight!" and soon others followed.

Somewhat entranced by the chanting, Gaz focused her attention on the still alien beneath her, wanting to see his fear and pain as she made him regret the pizza incident. Instead of struggling, he just lay there, waiting for the inevitable. His miserable excuse for a disguise made her wonder just how stupid everyone else was to not see he wasn't human. Though it had been awhile since she had last seen him without his disguise, she still remembered how hypnotizing his foreign eyes were, the intensity of his - somehow - intelligent gaze.

Her mind wandered, as did her eyes, as she suddenly noticed how tall he had gotten, a few inches or so taller than her, and certainly almost as tall as his leaders. She saw how toned his body was, noticed the strength of his grip on the backs of her legs as she held him down. _He might be harder to beat up, now._ Gaz thought absently, tracing his sharp facial features with her eyes. _He really is quite attractive…for an alien, I guess._ She thought, wondering why she hadn't noticed before.

Suddenly, she found herself on the ground, Zim now on top of her, straddling her hips much like she had done to him. He had noticed she was distracted and had taken that opportunity to gain the upper hand. He leaned toward her, pinning her arms to the ground, his hands on her wrists.

"Who's laughing now, little Gaz?" Zim smirked down at her triumphantly, his face inches from her own. Gaz blushed furiously in embarrassment and struggled beneath him.

"Get the **hell** off me!" she growled, turning her head from side to side, trying not to look at him. For some reason he was making her feel... _weird._

"Ooh, Gaz has a boyfriend!" someone in the crowd shouted, making the others laugh and Gaz blushed again, the heat in her cheeks extremely noticeable. Zim threw a perplexed look at the crowd before staring at her for a few seconds.

"What are you looking at?" Gaz managed to spit out.

"Your face…it's so red. Are you ill?" Zim's brow furrowed in concern - why, he didn't exactly know - and confusion.

"W-why do you care? Of course I'm sick, I have an alien sitting on me, that would make anyone sick!" she snapped, just low enough for him to hear.

Without another word, Zim let go of her wrists and climbed off her. The bell rang again, signaling the next period. The assembled students quickly dispersed, not wanting to be caught out of class and put in detention with Ms. Bitters. Alone in the hallway, Zim offered his hand to help Gaz up. She slapped it away.

"I don't _need_ your help," she said venomously as she stood up and dusted herself off. Zim shrugged and walked off, whistling to himself.

Gaz glared after him until he disappeared around a corner before turning, grabbing her previously discarded bag and running down the hallway. Having done this many times, she stayed in the security camera's blind spot. Making sure no one was looking, she made her way out the back door and ran home, unlocking the front door with her house key, entering, and locking it behind her.

Breathing hard, she threw her bag on the floor, removing her black and purple striped hoodie, leaving her with her black undershirt. She lay down on the couch, closing her eyes. She could feel a headache coming on.

Gradually her mind wandered back to Zim and the humiliating experience. Zim, so close, his breath on her neck. She shook her head violently. Sure, she'd always _sort of_ liked the alien, but **this?** This _had_ to be ridiculous. He wasn't even human, not to mention she'd never had any experience in anything like this before. She severely doubted Zim had, either. She'd always thought relationships like that were stupid, so she'd never dated.

It wasn't that she couldn't get a boyfriend. Hell, with her mysterious personality, intense amber eyes and her unusual, striking violet hair, she'd been whistled at walking past the boys' locker room to art class more times than she could count...until she silenced the offenders with a withering glare, that is.

So **what** was she doing thinking about Zim? She blinked and shrugged it off as embarrassment at her failure to rough him up and the shock at his newly noticed appearance, then silently went upstairs, removed her thick black eyeliner and mascara and took a long shower to settle her nerves.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is mostly dialogue and spazzy characters as they are.

Zim paced back and forth, waiting for his computer to load. In his mind, he thought about the incident with Gaz, trying to figure it out. When the computer finally loaded he set it to work and uploaded the memory from his PAK.

"Computer, scan memory and run a background check on human illnesses." He ordered. Perhaps if what Gaz had was detrimental, he could take it from her and use it to create a deadly strand of virus to destroy the humans and _finally_ conquer the Earth. ...One could dream.

"Search complete. No data found." Zim frowned. No data?

"Perhaps it's not an illness? Analyze memory again." He tapped his foot impatiently as the computer did as it was told.

"Analysis complete." It informed, pulling up a page of data. Zim read it carefully.

"Hm…blah, blah…not important…Zim doesn't care about that…" He blinked. "What's this? Human…emotion…identified as…attraction?" He stared at the screen, dumbfounded. Gaz? _Attracted?_ To **him?** Surely the computer had made an error!

"Analyze again!" He snapped, clenching his teeth. The same results appeared. "No, that can't be right… Again!"

After several more tries, Zim crossed his arms over his chest, thinking. Unless his malfunctioning SIR Unit, GIR, had somehow screwed up the computer, it seemed that Gaz was attracted to him... After some thought, he grinned wickedly.

"This could be an excellent opportunity to document human emotions, especially seeing how the hideous Tak was Irken, making my observations of her useless," he mused to himself. "Yes, I will observe the Gaz-beast to learn how to best manipulate the FILTHY humans' emotions. **I AM ZIM!** " He fist pumped the air, congratulating his own genius. "I'll inform the Tallest of my AMAZING plan." He immediately placed the call.

"What is it now, Zim?" The red leader asked impatiently when he appeared on screen, arms crossed over his chest.

"Yeah, we were eating donuts!" The purple leader shouted before proceeding to stuff his face.

"My Tallest, I have called to inform you of my INGENIOUS plan." He responded, smiling proudly.

"That's great, Zim," Red rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sure this plan won't fail as miserably as the other ones." Purple laughed. He then continued munching on his donut before both leaders erupted into a huge fit of laughter, leaning against each other for support while shoving donuts into their mouths.

"I'm glad to see you're so EXCITED about it," He enthused, chuckling, oblivious to their obvious and constant ridicule. "I have decided to observe human emotions - "

"Wait, didn't you already try that?" Red interrupted.

"He did, but Tak's Irken," Purple responded, and the two shared a mocking grin.

"I was unaware of that at the time. Now! I plan on observing a real human female."

"And you're sure she's human this time?" Red squinted at him, eating another pastry.

"Well, she is the Dib-stink's sister,"

"Is that the scary purple one?"

"Actually, I think her hair's more violet, but yes."

"Oh! Someone's brave," Purple winked at him.

"Try not to die," The two giggled hysterically.

"Yes, that would be a shame!" Red offered Purple a donut before snatching it away as he reached for it, leaving him sprawled on the floor. They continued giggling, Red pointing and laughing at him while Purple slowly got up.

"Oh. Right." Red cleared his throat, remembering they were still on video call with Zim. "What do you plan on doing, anyway?"

"Well, I-"

"Oh! Oh! Maybe a picnic!" Purple suggested, nodding at his own wisdom.

"Or even better, take her on a walk at night. Females love that. I know I do." Purple sighed before grabbing another donut.

"But you're both male," Zim stated, realizing his mistake too late.

"I thought you didn't have a problem with that?" Red challenged, leaning forward menacingly.

"Oh, no, of course not My Tallest! It was simply a lapse in thought." Zim apologized, waving his hands.

"You seem to have a lot of those," Purple huffed, crossing his arms. Though they were an advanced alien race, same-sex couples were certainly not completely accepted. However, as they were the Tallest, no one spoke against their union.

"Well, whatever you do, don't break her…"

"Heart?" Purple offered. "I think that's what it's called."

"Yeah, that." Red nodded.

"You care about a human?" Zim asked incredulously, one eyebrow lifted.

"Of course not. I just…" He exchanged a quick, almost unnoticeable glance with Purple. Zim was none the wiser. "Forget it."

"Okay… I'll report in later, My Tallest."

"Whatever, Zim, take as long as you like. In fact, that's an order." Purple waved him off and ended the call as the two went on eating their donuts.

"Now, time for my AMAZING plan!" Zim started laughing maniacally before being cut off by GIR.

"Master, I made waffles!" The robot, disguised as a green dog, happily screeched.

"Not now, GIR, and besides, last time your waffles of DEATH made me sick."

"WAAAAAAAAAA!" GIR screamed, running around him annoyingly, hitting him with a waffle. After a few minutes, Zim's eye twitched.

" **ENOUGH!** I shall eat some!" He shouted angrily, clearly exasperated.

"YAY!" GIR shoved a waffle into his mouth, then munched on one himself, coughing up bubbles due to the soap in it. Swallowing, Zim took another.

"Just so you know, I'm only eating these so you'll stop your damn screaming," He informed, closing his eyes as he tried to swallow. Usually, if GIR didn't put anything disgusting in them, his waffles were very good. But he had used soap again this time. "How many times have I told you soap is not food?"

"HEHEHEHE… I don't know." GIR shrugged, flailing his arms.

"After this, I will start my plan. I AM ZIM!" He grabbed a fork, which GIR took out of his head and shoveled a few waffles down before promptly demanding the bucket.


	3. Chapter 3

Gaz turned off the water and wrapped a towel around herself, letting her wet hair hang in her face before grabbing another towel and drying it out. She walked to her bedroom, the black satin curtains shutting out the sunlight from outside. Gaz quickly dried off and dressed, choosing an undershirt and shorts to relax in, both black, as per usual. She put her iPod in its dock and turned the volume up before selecting a song. She left her door open as she went downstairs so she could hear the music throughout the house.

She grabbed a can of soda from the fridge, setting it on the table before grabbing the pizza box, her leftovers from Bloaty's Pizza last night. As she heated the pizza up in the microwave, she again remembered the fight with Zim - which she _couldn't_ seem to get out of her head - which had led to the embarrassment in the hallway. Refusing to think of him again, she punched the open button and sat down at the table with her food, opening the tab of the can.

"What a waste of pizza," she grumbled moodily, taking a bite of said food. "Zim doesn't even eat human food!" Or, at least he didn't when Dib was there. Maybe he had built up a tolerance for it or something in the sort of vacation time he had without Dib chasing him around, threatening to expose him at any cost.

Finished, she tossed her can across the room, and it landed directly in the trash bin. She washed her plate and placed it in the cupboard before going back into the living room, glancing at her messenger bag laying on the carpet. For an idle moment, she contemplated doing her homework. A knock at the door interrupted her inner debate and, forgetting how scantily-clad she was in her annoyance at having to deal with someone, she unlocked and threw open the door, readying a sarcastic remark. But she forgot all about making a fool of the person when she saw who it was - Zim stood there, fist in the air as he began to knock again.

"Greetings, Gaz-human." He said, offering a timid smile. Gaz felt her face flush.

"What do you want?" She hissed, leaning against the door-frame, arms crossed over her chest.

"Zim was wondering if he could use the Dib-stink's lab." He said, though more like he was informing her of his intent to use it rather than asking permission.

"Why? Don't you have your own lab?" She vaguely remembered the time she and Dib had seen it when they all had - reluctantly - fought Tak together.

"Yes, but GIR decided to fill the entire base with waffles. So many waffles…" He recalled GIR shoving towering plates into any and every empty space he could find, including the launch chute, which threw a bunch into the yard. He clenched his fists in horror.

"Why don't you just eat the damn waffles? They can't be that bad, can they?" She asked, tilting her head a bit so she could see the glow of his real eyes from behind his contacts.

"Normally GIR makes delicious waffles, but sometimes he forgets what is and isn't food and adds the most horrible things you could ever imagine. ESPECIALLY SOAP."

"Soap waffles? Eh. I've had worse."

"Anyway, Zim REFUSES to eat all those waffles, and he can't make GIR because he ran off somewhere. Therefore, he needs to build a waffle vaporizer."

"Uh-huh. Why don't you just give - "

"Silence! Destruction will come to those devil waffles! Destruction is nice!"

"...Right. The lab's downstairs." Gaz motioned for him to follow as she walked over and descended. She felt his breath on her neck as he followed behind, and chills went up her spine. As silently as she could, she tried to regulate her galloping heartbeat by breathing in her nose and out her mouth. She felt her pulse return to somewhat normal as she reached up and grabbed the key from on top of the door, unlocking it. A retinal scanner popped out from the middle of the door and Gaz proceeded to type in her name on the keyboard before scanning her eye. Beeping, the door swung inward.

"There," she said nonchalantly, bracing herself to run past him up the stairs. She audibly gasped in surprise, amber eyes wide, as she met his calculating gaze. He was much closer than she had thought, his face so near to hers. He smiled and inched closer, so that his eyes were all she could see.

"Thank you, little Gaz..." He hovered for a moment longer, making Gaz think he would try to kiss her, before breaking eye contact and entering the lab, closing the door behind him.

She let out a sigh of relief and put the key back in its original place, heading upstairs. She grabbed her bag and trudged up to her room, throwing it on her curtained four poster bed. She grabbed her iPod out of its dock, plugging in her skull headphones. She sat on the black and purple striped sheets and started on her homework, occasionally humming along or tapping her foot to the beat, attempting to forget the alien, with moderate success.


	4. Chapter 4

After about an hour, Gaz finished her homework and shoved it back into her bag, pausing the current song and taking off her headphones. She stretched and glanced at her mirror, which was directly opposite her door, and jumped. Zim was leaning against the door-frame, staring at her in silence. His arms were crossed over his chest, his head tilted slightly to one side, as if in consideration.

"You sing quite well," he remarked offhandedly, and Gaz realized she had been singing along softly to the playing song. She shook her head, her face flushing a deep red. "What do you mean in the song?"

"Wha - they're just lyrics," She huffed, closing her eyes in embarrassment. "They don't mean anything." He studied her for a moment. "So are you done or what?" She snapped, angry that he had snuck up on her as well as trying to hide how flustered she was. This was getting **ridiculous.**

When he didn't reply and just continued staring at her, she grabbed her biology textbook and pushed past him, going downstairs before sitting on the couch. Gaz suspected he'd let himself out, so she opened her book and was surprised when Zim sat down next to her.

"Yes, the waffle vaporizer is done." He replied, making himself right at home...much to her increasing annoyance.

"Well, you're all done, then, right? So leave," She started reading. He inched closer.

"What are you reading?" He asked curiously.

"I'm studying,"

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance?"

"No." The book was taken out of her hands and set down on the floor.

"You're all red again. Are you feeling well?"

"W-what? I'm fine!" She avoided eye contact, letting her violet hair hang in her face as she looked down, trying to focus on anything but him. He gently grabbed her chin and made her look at him, making her efforts futile.

"Are you positive…?" He tucked a stray strand of hair back from her face and behind her ear, eyes intense even through the contacts.

"I said I'm fine! Now leave me alone!" Gaz tried to break away from him, but his grasp was surprisingly firm. He stared at her for a minute, analyzing her like some piece of high-tech machinery. She almost shivered under his hard gaze. Finally, he let his hand drop, releasing her.

"Have you ever felt this way before?" He asked suddenly, and she couldn't tear her eyes away from his.

"W-what do you mean?" She asked bitterly. He smirked.

"I never thought you, of all people, would let one person hinder you so much."

"What are you talking about? I'm not letting anyone, least of all **you,** hold me back from _anything!_ " She retorted, not entirely understanding what he meant.

"Really? Are you certain?" His eyes were half-hid by his eyelids, which gave him a menacing yet attractive look.

"Yes, so shut up about it!" Zim smiled charmingly before quickly snaking an arm around her thin waist.

"Little Gaz, I'm afraid I don't believe you," he murmured, his voice smoky, before pulling her close and actually **kissing** her. She was startled so much she just sat there for a moment, letting him press her close to him.

He made a small grunt of impatience at her non-responsive, unyielding lips before being shocked himself as she kissed him back fiercely. Though inexperienced in things such as this, she desperately wanted to prove her worth. Of course, she'd never admit it, it was something only her unconscious would know. It seemed as if she were doing this instinctively, her mind feeling somewhat detached from her body as she watched herself let Zim grab a fistful of her hair, deepening the kiss.

He suddenly broke off, something a bit harder to do than he had originally thought. As much as it confused him, the presence of her, the feel of her lips, of her body against his, was rather intoxicating. Gaz moved away from him, rage in her gorgeous amber eyes as he flashed her a wicked grin.

"What the _hell,_ Zim?" She tried to punch him in the face, but it seemed he had anticipated this, for he caught her fist in his hand.

"You certainly seemed to enjoy it, and it seems you were unusually prepared for it, Gaz-human." He observed.

"Shut the hell up! I was not! And is it really that hard to just call me 'Gaz'? That is my name, you know, not 'Gaz-human'!" She spat venomously.

"Okay! Zim will stop calling you Gaz-human, Gaz." He put up his hands in mock surrender. Gaz blushed. For some reason, the sound of him saying her name, without any addition to it, the way it rolled off his tongue, caused her heart to flutter. Quite honestly, she didn't know how to describe the feeling and she wasn't sure she wanted to. Growling in rage, she jumped up from the couch and ran into the kitchen.

"What is Gaz doing?" Zim called after her uncertainly. She ignored him, even though her heart skipped a beat again when he said her name. She threw open the fridge, grabbing a can of soda and shaking it mercilessly. Zim appeared in the doorway with his ridiculous invention and equally ridiculous smile and Gaz narrowed her eyes even further. She pointed the can at him, readying to pop the tab and spray him with the now-fizzy soda. His eyes grew wide and he backed away as she advanced.

" **Get. Out. Of. My. House.** " She growled at him, eyes flashing with fury. Zim turned and ran, throwing open the front door before continuing to run away, shrieking, but Gaz popped the tab and sprayed him before he crossed the threshold, causing his skin to burn. He screamed and ran off before falling and rolling on the hard ground outside.

She laughed at him, but, for the first time in her life, felt a strange pang of what could only be identified as guilt at having caused him pain. She shrugged it off and watched him suffer for a few minutes before walking back into her house, locking the door behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

Zim paced back and forth, Gir watching him with a vacant grin on his face. "This is more serious than I thought," he mumbled, his brow furrowed in thought. He had lived on Earth long enough to understand at least _some_ aspects of human courtship. Now, not only was Gaz showing signs of her attraction to him, however unknowingly or unwillingly, she had also shown a prominent Irken custom. Even though cloning was used now and the Tallest were the only Irkens allowed to have mates, Zim knew enough that by bringing pain to her love interest, she had unknowingly stated that she was ready for courtship. Zim's mind wandered off, to thoughts of "dating" (as the humans referred to it) Gaz, taking her as his mate. Frustrated and not knowing what else to do, he told Gir of his predicament.

"Please tell me you have some sort of advice in your information archives, Gir," he sighed. Gir immediately switched to his serious mode, saluting.

"Sir, Article 2510-98-XY of the Invader's Manual states that, start quote, 'Use any emotion the native species may have to your advantage. If an individual or individuals show interest in you, for whatever reason, you are to use them to gain information useful to your mission. Edit #712, Almighty Tallests Red and Purple: Don't forget to ask them about the planet's best snacks. Failure to do so will result in permanent banishment to Dirt.' End quote." The robot's eyes switched to blue. "I LIKE FLAMINGOS!"

Zim thought silently for a moment while Gir strutted around like a bird, pecking at the ground. Sure, he could use her against her own race, but he doubted that would work, especially considering she had already tried to destroy the Earth _herself_ a few years ago by messing with one of her father's experiments. Not to mention she had showed a severe lack of interest in saving the world when Tak had threatened it, despite her tagging along. No, that wouldn't work.

Besides, what he wouldn't admit, not even to himself, was that he had already fallen for the dark, moody girl way before she'd showed interest in him. He remembered when he first arrived, how distant and uncaring she was, even to her own family. He had found a sort of comfort in that, in her, as she reminded him of the females on his own planet. He had admired, yes, actually **admired,** her independence, the way she wouldn't let anyone tell her what to do.

But he also understood, even with as little knowledge he knew about her species, that she was putting up a front, albeit a very convincing one, to hide her true self. A deep pain. What that pain was, he didn't know, and most likely never would, but that just added to her unchallenged beauty, to her mysterious, compelling aura. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of her. Surely this was ridiculous. No Irkens, other than the Tallest, of course, were allowed to... _feel_ this way.

Even though they were Tallest, Red and Purple kept their relationship on a strict need-to-know basis, and only their crew and some of the more trustworthy invaders knew about it or even suspected it. Since relationships were shunned, even punishable by death, a same-sex pairing would be even less tolerated, if only because of ignorance. Because they were Tallest, they wouldn't be killed, but they were sure to be persecuted. Therefore, no one who knew was ever to speak of it, lest they be hurled into the sun or left to some other horrible demise.

If even the Tallest were so limited and even shunned to show emotion and take a mate, especially one of the same gender, how could he even hope to have a relationship with Gaz? She wasn't Irken, and that alone was surely a death sentence. Sighing and rubbing his weary eyes, he suddenly had an idea. _Certainly My Tallest will know what to do. After all, their situation is similar to mine._ He thought, immediately placing the call.

After a minute or so, they appeared on screen, Purple munching on popcorn, Red drinking his soda. Apparently the communications director had just patched the call through without informing them, because they didn't once look at the screen as they continued their conversation. The poor fool might not have been punished as harshly if they had been on the bridge. Unfortunately for him, night had fallen and the Tallest had retired to their shared quarters. Obviously he was not in the loop. Unsure whether to announce his presence and condemn the idiot to death, he merely watched awkwardly, waiting for an opening in their discussion.

"I'm telling you, Red, Earth has this amazing dance!" Purple sounded excited. Then again, he _was_ the happier of the two.

"And I'm telling you, there's no way anything thing that short could come up with something amazing," Red retorted, sipping his drink, eyes half-closed in boredom.

"They may be incredibly short, but the dance is still awesome!" Purple put down his popcorn and stood up from his armchair, floating over to the other. "Come on, I'll show you!" Red threw his empty soda aside absently and crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to move.

"No."

"But Red!" Purple whined, leaning closer and pleading with his eyes. After a second, the red-eyed Irken looked up at the other and sighed.

"Ugh, fine - "

"Yay!" Purple shouted, throwing up his arms in excitement before being interrupted.

"BUT - " Red jumped up from the couch and backed him into the wall, putting his arms on either side of his confused co-ruler so he couldn't escape. "You owe me something in return..." He growled, leaning closer so their faces were only a few inches apart, making Purple blush. Not wanting to invade their privacy or be mentally scarred for the rest of his life, Zim quickly made himself known.

"Uh...My Tallest...?" Red jumped back immediately and Purple followed, floating over to his side, eyes furious for being interrupted while Red seemed more flustered. After he saw who was on call, he leaned against his mate and hooked his arm through the other's.

"What in the hell do you want, Zim?" Purple hissed, baring his teeth. "Can't you see we're busy?" Red tilted his head, concern on his face for the other's patience with the likely soon-to-be-dead defect.

"I, uh, just wanted to - "

"You have the absolute WORST timing! Where's the communications director? How dare he put a call through to our private quarters without asking us. Shoot him into the nearest sun!" The purple-eyed Irken ranted before turning his attention back to the smaller alien. "And you!" He snapped, unhooking his arm and floating over to the screen menacingly. Red followed, eyes narrowed.

"How many times have we told you - " Purple started.

"NEVER call us during night hours." Red finished before they both pointed a claw at him accusingly. Zim's eyes widened and he back-pedaled a good distance from the screen, even though the threat the two posed was light years away. Sure, he had accidentally forgotten to check the Armada's time and had called them before, but he had never interrupted them in the past, despite their warnings.

"My sincerest apologies, My Tallest! I merely wanted you, with your all-knowing wisdom, to offer Zim advice?"

"Might as well, you've killed the mood," Red frowned, Purple angrily picking up his popcorn and stuffing some into his mouth so that he looked like a pissed off green squirrel missing its tail.

"Right, um...well..."

"Is this about the human?" Zim blushed and nodded, throat dry. Red scrutinized him for a moment.

"You're in love with her." It wasn't a question. Zim nodded hesitantly.

"Does she feel the same way about you?" Red asked, a bit sadistically, already knowing his answer.

"I'm...not sure," Zim sighed, antennae drooping. Both leaders started to laugh, but they were cut off with his protest. "But she has shown courtship customs, both human and Irken!"

"It's probably not what you think. I highly doubt she knows of our customs, so it's probably coincidence. And I'm sure you know even less of hers." Red rubbed an eye in agitation.

"But she acts different around me!" He objected rather childishly.

"You've informed us yourself that she acts odd anyway."

"Yeah, how do you know she's not just being weird? Huh? Huh?" Purple squinted at the screen, still quite annoyed at Zim.

"I...I don't..."

"Listen, Zim," Red yawned, not even trying to hide his indifference. "Forget about her, just go on with your...mission," he said the last part like a punch line in a joke, and both snickered.

"But My Tall - "

"Bye, Zim!" Purple finally lost his patience and angrily jabbed the end call button, and Zim disappeared off screen. Red went to the couch, still yawning.

"We really should have sent him to a planet with giant killer bees or something. Now, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?" Red turned to Purple, only to be tackled to the sofa.

"I believe we were about..." Purple rested his forehead against the other's, "...here," He grinned at his shocked co-ruler who lay pinned beneath him. Purple caught his lips in a kiss, Red sighing against him. After a few seconds, he broke it, leaving Red both angry and confused.

"There, now come dance with me," He pulled him off the couch and went to pick out a song. Red facepalmed and grabbed his arm.

"Oh, no," He whispered in his ear, "If I have to dance to this ridiculous song, you owe me much more than a five second kiss..."

Meanwhile, Zim stared at the screen for a few minutes, thinking idly to himself while Gir played with his rubber pig. Turning around, he closed his eyes in concentration.

"No...no, I don't know..." He opened his eyes and smiled deviously. "Not **yet,** anyway."


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, Gaz decided to skip school, not wanting to see Zim and just generally not caring enough about her studies at the moment to go. Though, contrary to popular belief, she was a decent student with good grades. She slept until noon before reluctantly getting up and doing her daily routine.

She ate cereal before making a cup of coffee, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. After trying to relax by playing her Game Slave, watching TV, and eating pizza, Gaz got out her laptop and checked her email.

Before looking at her mail, Gaz glanced at the clock and was shocked to see that school was already about out - she had truly been in the zone. Returning her attention to the screen, she noticed that she had two unread emails, and opened the first one. It was from Dib.

_Gaz,_

_How are you? How's skool going? I'm doing all right, I'm just a little homesick. I think I actually miss you threatening me every day. Crazy, huh? Has Zim had any evil plans to take over the Earth since I left? Then again, you probably ignore him. Anyway, see you soon, Sis._

_Dib_

Gaz sighed before replying.

_Dib,_

_I think we both know I'm as miserable as usual. Skool's fine, I guess, just boring as hell. How are you even homesick of this dump? It's the seventh level of hell. Then again, if you miss me tormenting you, maybe that place is worse, if that's even possible. And yes. Yes, it is. So are you._

Pausing as she thought of Zim, she drummed her nails on her thigh, her face burning.

 _Zim's being an idiot as usual,_ she typed, which was mostly true. She decided to keep it on a need-to-know basis, and Dib certainly didn't need to know. Reading the last line of the email, she tilted her head in confusion. _'Anyway, I'll see you soon.'_

_Idiot,_ she started, _don't you mean TALK to me soon?_ As she was about to send it, the doorbell rang. She looked quickly to her clock. No, skool still had about twenty minutes left until it let out. Unless Zim skipped, which was unlikely, then it wasn't him. She thought about letting the Holo-Dad get the door, then remembered it was charging, repairing itself from the last time she sprayed soda on it a few days ago. Setting down her laptop, she went over and opened the door slowly. 

"Gaz!" She was almost tackled to the ground in a quick hug before her attacker backed off, a stupid grin lighting his face, his huge head the epitome of cheeriness. 

"Dib!?" If she hadn't been so surprised to see him, she would have disemboweled him for hugging her. "What are you **doing** here?" 

"It's a long story. How about we talk inside? It's a little chilly out here," he picked up his luggage, causing her to squint in suspicion. Inside, he put down his bags and plopped down on the couch, sighing, adjusting his glasses before grabbing the remote and turning on the TV. 

"So?" Gaz crossed her arms over her chest and stepped between him and the TV. "Why are you here?" 

"Gaz! Mysterious Mysteries is about to come on!" He whined, giving her a puppy-dog look. 

"Then you'd better hurry." 

"I just came to visit," He dodged the question, trying to see around her. 

"That's not a long story, Dib," she growled, tapping her foot impatiently. 

"Ugh, fine! I was kicked out, okay?" 

"Kicked out of that paranormal skool? How did you manage that?" She sat down beside him, waiting for his reply. 

"…Well… I thought one of my classmates was an alien, like Zim. Problem was, it was a girl…" 

"Don't tell me you stalked her," Gaz scoffed. 

"It's not stalking! It's studying! …Without her knowledge," 

"Do I even _want_ to know?" 

"You asked! Besides, I can't stop in the middle of a story!" 

"I've noticed." She grumbled. 

"So, since I couldn't talk to her - " 

"What, she catch on early that you're a freak?" 

"No, she was in the popular crowd," 

"There's a _popular crowd_ at a **paranormal skool?"**

"Yeah. Anyway, she somehow managed to lose me every time I tried to find her house, so I thought, well, if she's an alien, she **had** to be wearing a disguise, right? So I put a camera in…well…" 

"Spit it out already!" 

"In…the girls' locker room," He turned bright red. 

"Are you **serious?!"**

"It **seemed** like a good idea at the time! Besides, it recorded and I didn't look when she was…you know," he was quite embarrassed. 

"Whatever. How did you get caught?" 

"Well, after a few days of nothing, I went to get the camera after skool. I forgot there was a game - " 

"Game?" 

"Lacrosse. Anyway, so by the time I got it and tried to leave, the girls came in and found me. They reported me, and I tried to explain, but they thought I had gone too far. So, here I am." He finished just as the show came on. This episode was a so-called professional's documentary on aliens. Curious to see if this would give her any insight into Zim, Gaz swallowed her pride and decided to watch it. 

"Hey, speaking of aliens, what's Zim been up to?" Dib asked after a while. 

"Now to discuss thoughts on alien emotions and mating patterns," the professional said. 

"Oh, I remember this guy! He's supposed to be the best in his field. Studying aliens, I mean." Dib grinned, idolizing the man on TV. 

_The best in studying aliens?_ Gaz thought. _Well, if anyone would know, it would be Dib. So surely this guy can't be **too** far off the mark of what he's saying, right?_

"Why are you so interested in this anyway? You _never_ watch this show," Dib asked curiously, only for Gaz to punch him in the arm, hard. 

"Dib, I swear, if you don't shut it, I will rip out your vocal cords and force feed them to you sideways!" She growled, effectively silencing him, though he rubbed his arm and gave her a suspicious look. 

"It has been theorized, by none other than myself, with extensive research, that if aliens are superior to us, which studies say they are, they will have no emotions, or very limited ones." The so-called professional droned on. 

_No…emotions…?_ Gaz thought, suddenly feeling sick. _No way, Zim has emotions! Right?_ Yes, he **had** to, she'd seen him show them before. Then again, she could only remember him being angry, frustrated, or otherwise simply _ridiculous..._ Her heart dipped. _Maybe he really **is** limited?_

"Furthermore, procreation would be replaced by something more effective, such as cloning, or something similar. This will thus eliminate the need to mate. Therefore, it is safe to assume that, if they wished to study or conquer us, they would use our own emotions against us." 

_What…? No…that can't be…_ Gaz shook her head, and then clenched her fists, knuckles white. _So that's it, then… Zim's only **using** me._ Tears, yes, **actual** tears, were threatening to fall from her eyes. _How could I have ever thought, for one second, that someone might have actually cared for me?_

_Sure,_ she thought, trying to calm herself, _this guy could be completely wrong, but… It would make much more sense than if he **actually** cared…_ Besides, what she wouldn't admit, not even to herself, was that she was afraid of caring, about anyone. She was terrified of falling in love; she felt she already was with Zim, and no matter what her better judgment said, she knew she was still falling. The only question was, could she recover when she inevitably hit the ground? 


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, Friday, Gaz, along with Dib - whose transfer back had apparently already been approved - went to skool. She wasn't about to let that insensitive jerk of an alien toy with her, and she meant to tell - or at the very least, show - him so. In class, she purposely avoided sitting close to him while Dib, of course, decided to snag the empty seat right beside him.

Gaz expertly hid her Game Slave as she played, occasionally grunting when she was called on. That was answer enough, as even the teachers knew not to bother her when she was in the zone. Too bad she couldn't concentrate, what with Zim trying to get her attention for whatever reason as well as fighting rather loudly with Dib.

"Away, Dib-stink! Zim thought he had seen the last of you with his AMAZING eyes!" Zim yelled immediately as he noticed the boy.

"So, how are your plans of conquering the world - "

"That is confidential!"

"I already know you're an alien!"

"Lies… You're lying! YOU LIE!" Zim flailed his arms about crazily before he noticed Gaz watching him. In response, he flashed her a sheepish grin and waved to her before she rolled her eyes, returning her attention to her game.

"Hey! Don't look at my sister!"

"Or what, FILTHY HUMAN?!" Zim practically screeched.

"Zim! Dib! That is **enough!"** Ms. Bitters growled, effectively silencing them. Somehow, the skool board had finally realized she was too scary to teach little kids and had transferred her to the High Skool. Lucky for the grade-skoolers, but unfortunate for the high skool students. "It seems that you've returned to make my life even more miserable, Dib. If that's even possible…" she mumbled the last part, inching closer to the students.

"I'd rather not bang my head against the wall all day, so, Zim, you switch seats with…uh…THAT kid!" She pointed menacingly at the student in front of Gaz, who quickly moved as Zim enthusiastically grabbed his things and ran over. Ms. Bitters then returned to her rant about how the world was eventually going to end and nothing anyone ever did would matter - quite depressing, really, if one actually bothered to listen.

About to beat the second-to-last level, Gaz suddenly felt someone staring at her. She tried to ignore it, but after a while, she lost her focus and died. She looked up, ready to spit acid in someone's eyes if need be, surprised to find Zim turned around in his chair and watching her intently. She hadn't realized he'd moved.

"What are you looking at?" Gaz snapped quietly. Zim smiled and leaned forward.

"You," he replied quite simply before handing her a folded note and turning around. Her curiosity getting the best of her, she unfolded and read it.

_Gaz,_

_The AWESOME Zim demands your creepy yet almost as awesome presence in the data storage facility…thingy…after lunch._

_Data storage facility thingy? He must mean the library._ She might have actually thought about it, had he not used the word 'demands'. Instead, she tore the paper to bits before blowing the pieces at him in a mock-like kiss.

"AH! Tiny white flying creatures attacking! Zim will destroy YOU! And you! And YOU!" he screamed before running out of the room, practically tripping over himself as he swatted the bits of paper as Ms. Bitters glowered after him. Dib laughed hysterically while Gaz allowed herself a brief, sadistic smile of victory before returning to her game.


	8. Chapter 8

Unfortunately for her, Gaz had forgotten she a paper to finish before her class after lunch, so as soon as the bell rang, she went straight to the library, skipping lunch even though she was starving. She hoped she could finish quickly and leave before Zim could find her. Entering the library, she went over to the computer area and sat down at one of the desks, pulling up the hood of her jacket to hide her face, just in case, before putting in her headphones and turning on her iPod. After a few minutes of speedy typing, she was brought back to Earth when a familiar gloved hand took her iPod from her.

"Female Earthanoid! Zim is pleased you have obeyed his message." The alien stood beside her, his stance proud.

"Go away, I'm busy," she muttered darkly, looking around quickly before turning her attention back to the screen. They were the only two in the library, the librarian gone for lunch. _This probably won't end well._ Gaz thought to herself and sighed. Abruptly, her stomach growled…quite loudly.

"Eh? What is that beast noise?" Zim craned his neck to look about in curiosity before another sound drew his attention back to Gaz. He stared at her, confusion on his face.

"What? I'm hungry," Gaz shrugged, her stomach still complaining, much to her distaste.

"Did you consume your Earth-food?"

"No…" Gaz watched as he nodded and made his way over to a vending machine in the café area, purchasing her a bag of chips, which somehow happened to be her favorite.

"Here, girl," He practically shoved the snack in her face, his expression stern. His closeness made her heart beat. _Remember, he's just using me, that's all._ She thought, shaking her head a bit.

"I don't want it!" she lied, smacking his hand away roughly. He narrowed his eyes and shook the bag in front of her impatiently. She shoved it away before saving and printing her paper. Getting ready to walk over to the printer to collect her assignment, she all at once felt faint, and regretted not stealing Dib's pop tarts this morning. In fact, since Zim had been messing with her, she really couldn't remember eating much, if anything, at all.

Standing weakly, she was forcibly tackled to the ground, Zim sitting on top of her, once again shaking the bag. Gaz slapped them away, sending them out of his hand. They both glared at each other until they realized how close they were. While Gaz went red, Zim blushed a sort of dark green.

Lost in her maddeningly captivating amber eyes, Zim was shocked when she managed to throw him off, managing only to stand a bit before her legs buckled, having used her last remaining strength to push him away. Zim caught her right before she hit the ground, having quickly retrieved the chips after her rejection of them.

"You're weak…" he worried, "When did you last eat?"

"I'm not sure…Wednesday?" she mumbled. If he only knew how distracted he kept her.

"You need to eat, Gaz," he said, his tone of voice surprisingly soft. She barely suppressed the shiver she felt when he said her name.

"I'll be fine, I just need to sit down!" she complained, trying to move, but again felt dizzy, letting Zim hold her against his chest as he tore open the chip bag with his odd teeth. He tried to offer her some, but she refused, not wanting to succumb to him.

"You stubborn girl!" He paused a minute, then a devious smile crept over his lips, mischief in his eyes. This time, Gaz couldn't help but shiver. Luckily, he didn't notice, because, before the thought of what he was going to do caused him to pause and blush, he kissed her full on the mouth. Their eyes met for a brief second, Gaz's filled with shock and confusion, Zim's with absolute glee.

Unfortunately, his desires got the best of him, and soon he forgot his plan. Where their lips met, it felt like fire, the heat burning their skin and making them blush profusely. Gaz put her arms around his neck, her resolve having disappeared with the onset of the sudden kiss, only vaguely aware of what she was doing as Zim wrapped his arm around her waist, pinning her against the wall. He let out a muffled growl before grabbing her thigh with his free hand and forcing her mouth open with his long, segmented tongue, making her smaller, human one engage in a heated dance.

Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Zim regretfully broke the kiss before smiling triumphantly at her still open mouth and dazed face. He took advantage of this opportunity to shove some chips into her mouth before quickly kissing her again. After swallowing the food, Gaz looked downward, avoiding his gaze.

"I…told you I didn't want any…" she objected, a bit childishly.

"Oh, you insufferable female." He studied her for a second, before lifting her chin and making her face him. "As I understand it, if the feelings are mutual, they are to become mates, yes?" He smiled happily before resting his forehead against hers, his eyes half-closed in contentment as he admired her flashing amber ones. Suddenly registering what he was saying, she bristled a bit, though he didn't notice. He really was quite oblivious.

Was this just another part of his plan? To use her to further his own selfish goals, whatever they may be? She studied his profile carefully. If he was truly acting, he had to be a good actor. _Hell, the best._ Yet, she'd seen him try to pass for a human, so that theory was quickly out the door. Her eyes softened a bit.

"…Are the feelings mutual?" she asked quietly. Zim, however, seemed lost in his own thoughts, confusion etched on his face before he finally replied.

"You…have done something to me…" he whispered. "We Irkens are forbidden to feel…anything that might…endanger the empire. Because of our PAKs," he gestured to his fake backpack, "In order to keep balance and assure the next Tallest, we are pre-programmed to grow to a certain height, to look a certain way, to be an Invader or food server. This removes the so-thought inferior method of emotions and mating, as our PAKs are attached after cloning…birth, you humans would say, and determine our personalities and such. Sometimes, however, a PAK malfunctions but is missed by the control brain."

"The PAK is then attached to a smeet…er, infant…and - I think _corrupts_ would be the best word? - the smeet. These defects often have personality, mental, or physical problems. They can also have varying emotions. …Gaz, I'm a defect." He looked for her reaction and she saw the forbidden emotion in him. "This is new to me, but… I believe we both…like…each other?"

"Zim…I…"

"Gaz, will you be Zim's mate?"

"I…" Zim's eyes widened in surprise as she hugged him tightly, and he hugged her back, loving the feel of her in his arms. Love…yes, that was definitely forbidden.

"Should I take that as a yes?" he taunted, and broke the hug as he offered her his hand.

"You jerk," Gaz muttered, and he grinned at her before taking her hand in his. Well, she hadn't said _no._ Then again, she hadn't said _yes,_ either…

"Should I get your papers?"

"What? Oh…sure…" she watched a bit dazedly as he retrieved her work, handing it to her proudly.

"I will take my claim of you now." Zim exclaimed, grinning.

"W-what?!" _Surely he doesn't mean…_ Gaz thought, panicking.

"It is Zim's understanding that when they become mates, the male takes ownership of the female." He looked about as confused as she felt.

"Oh. Well…not literally."

"Who is this 'literally' and why does he refuse to acknowledge the MIGHTY ZIM'S ownership of his love-pig?" He demanded angrily, hands on his hips much like an angry child.

"No, no, I mean the guy doesn't really _own_ the girl. That would be creepy, not to mention stupid. They just date, you know?"

"Zim knows they mate! He is not ignorant!" He flailed his arms, protesting and Gaz blushed scarlet.

"No, they…well, not right away, anyway," she desperately tried to explain, inching away from him. "They go out together, like to movies and stuff. They hang out and get to know each other first, to see if they're…right for each other. If they aren't, they breakup - "

"They BREAK each other?!" Zim interrupted, eyes wide.

"No! Well, there is this phrase about breaking someone's heart if they love you and you don't love them back - "

"Love? An emotion, yes?" He tilted his head to one side. "Humans are allowed to feel?"

"Yeah,"

"Excellent! Continue with the explanation, dear Gaz." Zim had thought he knew about human courtship, but it seemed he had overlooked a few details. She explained as best she could, but having no prior experience herself, felt the explanation more than a little lacking, and she was sure to steer clear of certain conversation topics, but they both blushed a couple of times nonetheless.

"Is that all?" Zim tapped his foot, watching her.

"I think so, yeah. What?" She broke off as she noticed he had gotten closer.

"Zim wants to take his little Gaz out for their first date of AMAZINGNESS." He beamed excitedly.

"I…can't. Not today, Zim." She avoided eye contact, and the bell sounded for the end of lunch. "I have to get to class before I'm late." She gathered her things and left, leaving Zim behind with a saddened, baffled expression on his face.


End file.
